A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

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alioth
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:03 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#31 Post by alioth »

twinSim wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2017 6:49 pm Please post a video of the other - analog - gauges too. I know that it is not Air Manager related then, but I am sure many like me would be highly interested in seing it.
An offtopic, but twinSim request this :)

Remember... Without educational purposes. Dont do this at home :mrgreen:



All the gauges made with Air Manager version 5.2 :lol:
A lot of work to do.
Im working in Vor2 and Altimeter.
HSI, Whisky compass and RMI are real instruments with mods. RMI was NOT easy. HSI was NOT NOT NOT NOT easy.
The whole staff and vm1000c bezel work with two arduino megas.
I will need one more arduino to manage switches, leds, radio stack..

Arturo.

JackZ
Posts: 2262
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:02 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#32 Post by JackZ »

Arturo

Impressive work, once again. You had probably a hard time trying to interface it with the duino!

FYI there is a French guy on the French cockpit buider's forum Aircockpit.com http://aircockpit.com/viewforum.php?f=94 who has designed special analogic cards to interface real instruments with FSX/P3D (SIOC basically).

there is a special driver, so you are able to interface most of the old instruments, using either servos, or stepper motors with Hall sensor effect for position.

You can easily interface old compas for example (Video in french) :


He has numerous cards for different usages, all connected through a specific bus to reduce wiring.
Here is a card for Stepper motors X47 for gauges (much smoother than servos!):
Very interresting and easy to use, worth a visit!

http://fabien.deheegher.free.fr/FD/cat/index.htm

Jacques
My YouTube Chanel on the A320 (Real SOPs by an Airline Pilot IRL):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 0Q6SBASRqJ

JackZ
Posts: 2262
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:02 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#33 Post by JackZ »

A real HSI interfaced with FSX:


My YouTube Chanel on the A320 (Real SOPs by an Airline Pilot IRL):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 0Q6SBASRqJ

alioth
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:03 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#34 Post by alioth »

Interesting!!
In fact, right now I feel confortable with arduino. The problem is more in the hardware side.
If you have a vacuum instrument, you have to put the servos (o whatever you need) there. And not only to works, but to works well, smooth and reliable. This is the hardest part.

When that is done, interfacing with arduino it is not very difficult. Yo have steppers, dc motors, encoders, leds, photocells, darsonvals, servos, electromagnet.. . Everything talking to eachtoher.

An example:
In the HSI vid, the movement in the compass card. I think is done with a standard stepper motor, moving 1.8º to 1.8º. You can see the steps.
The Glide Slope points move in steps too. I suposse because he has change the original mechanical with a servo (I was about to do the same, but...)

The original GS needle goes with:
-There is a LED emiting light trough a groove.
-In the other side of the groove, there are two photocells changing its resistance value depending how many light see.
-The groove changes with the GS move. So, reading the photocells you can know where the GS is.
-You know where GS is, and fsx tells you where must to be. So you load an electromagnet which moves the gs needle.

It is much more easy the servo road. But in this way is cooler :mrgreen: , and smoother. And... and cooler again :mrgreen:

I will post a similar video with HSI and autopilot.
I have made a Ka51b so HSI works in free and slave gyro mode, fully working with prepar3d!

Arturo.


EDIT:
I did not remember I already have this vid ( hsi, rmi and wet compass running with realair lancair):
Manual, Autopilot hdg, nav and ils landing.


JackZ
Posts: 2262
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:02 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#35 Post by JackZ »

Very impressive work Arturo. You truly deserve respect for this!

I guess you bought the real instruments on Ebay? They are in perfect state, should have been at a cost!

Interested in more details on your interfacing, it is always interresting to know how you did it!

Jacques
My YouTube Chanel on the A320 (Real SOPs by an Airline Pilot IRL):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 0Q6SBASRqJ

twinSim
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:21 am

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#36 Post by twinSim »

Arturo, thanks for showing your interfaced gauges. You know I am working on a new panel based on the great gauges of Air Manager, but seeing real world gauges move my work seems to be in a different league than yours!

To your engine monitor. I know it is not real world related, but I was wondering if it is possible to put the engine gauges of a light twin engine aircraft onto your monitor. The idea is to have one standard bezel and be in the position to fly several aircrafts with it. Anyone also interested in this idea? I better wait with my design and wait if this is realistically possible. Would make sim building easier as you are much more flexible with your build.

Regards and congratulations again!
Alfred

alioth
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:03 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#37 Post by alioth »

twinSim wrote: Sat Mar 11, 2017 6:59 am To your engine monitor. I know it is not real world related, but I was wondering if it is possible to put the engine gauges of a light twin engine aircraft onto your monitor. The idea is to have one standard bezel and be in the position to fly several aircrafts with it. Anyone also interested in this idea? I better wait with my design and wait if this is realistically possible. Would make sim building easier as you are much more flexible with your build.
Im finishing this jpi960 to a friend.

Image

It has the same height than vm1000, but it is wider. So, yo can make a bezel to the jpi960, and when you fly a single, put the vm1000 in the center. There will be blacks bands on the sides, but it will be ok.
Im only programing the basics. No buttons or functions. Only the basics info display, but there is more than enough to fly and to be useful.
It uses the milviz cessna 310 variables. Most of them are standard variables.

Arturo.

JackZ
Posts: 2262
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 1:02 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#38 Post by JackZ »

Arturo

Another solution would be to create a JPI930, which is the single engine variant of the 960.
I quickly glanced at the manual, there seem to have not that much difference between the two models.


If you want me to create a generic JPI 930 based on your work, please let me know. I could do that, now that I know better how you code ;) , but only after the end of March, as I'm busy right now.

As usual, I'´ll try to make it generic (FSX/P3D and XPlane compatible) if possible

Jacques
Attachments
IMG_8256.JPG
My YouTube Chanel on the A320 (Real SOPs by an Airline Pilot IRL):
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 0Q6SBASRqJ

twinSim
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2016 9:21 am

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#39 Post by twinSim »

Hi Arturo,

brilliant that you are already developing for twins. I did not know those JPI instruments but like the idea more and more when reading here in the forums and researching in the web about it.

@Jacques: great bringing in the idea with the 930 and 960!

I found the cut out dimensions of those bezels on the JPI website and I need to go checking my Comanche design - maybe I can make a modded panel with such a beauty!

If you need a 1:1 bezel of the gtn750 for printing - please send me a PM - I have it and would be happy to share as you contribute so much!

Regards,
Alfred

alioth
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:03 pm

Re: A2A comanche vm1000c engine monitor

#40 Post by alioth »

Some minor updates...

Engine monitor switch off if engine gauge circuit breaker triggers.
Faster boot up sequece (like the real one)
Peak mode shows positive and negative values (rich of peak, or lean of peak)
Now is very easy to use hardware buttons. You only have to write 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 with FSUIPC in the Lvar you set in line 1346 (FuelTank10 in my case, which is never use with the A2A comanche).

Here is a vid you can see what happens if Engine gauges Circuit breaker triggers, and you can also see the circuit breaker panel I have made 8-)

Attachments
vm1000cA2AComanche.rar
(1.61 MiB) Downloaded 258 times

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